Museums and the Formation of National and Cultural Identities

Cultural inclusion, exclusion and the formative roles of museums

“…A prominent example of stereotype theorizing is the concept of 'national culture', which first emerged alongside the political ascension of the bourgeoisie in Europe and America in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries 2 and provided a guise for the theatre of capital relationships Á market, labor, fixed assets, finances, etc. As capital does not confine its operation to a specific geography, in order to secure a geographic and demographic base of support, the ruling elites operationalize 'national identity' through social practices that engage the homeland citizen in specific ideologies and social roles (Burris, Branscombe, and Jackson 2000;Coombes 2004;Duncan 1999;Hobsbawm 1999;Liu 1999;Rydell 1984Rydell , 1993.…”

Os colares de vidro de Quiatoni (México): suas agências e simetrias na prática museológica e antropológica

“…1 A intenção com que se funda o museu ou se orienta a pesquisa associa-se a relações de poder que se perpetuam no âmbito académico pelo controle de capital simbólico de uma comunidade estrangeira, nacional ou local (Bennett 2007;Combes 2012). Elas determinam a linha discursiva de ambas as disciplinas, bem como o lugar que ocupam os colares de vidro dentro da mesma.…”

Reconfiguring the shipping news: maritime's hidden histories and the politics of gender display

“…Exposure to potential stereotypes can also lead to the naturalisation of traditional histories. Museums are powerful tools in the formation of national identities: they validate and dismiss in about equal measure (Coombes 1988). The maritime displays of colonial acquisition and battles contribute to our 'collected memory' of what is worth remembering and by extension what is not (Young 1993).…”